Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Vintage Revamp #7 - A Stripy Summer Sundress

It's definitely the time for Vintage Revamps, here's my second in a week! Thank you for all your lovely comments on my Jodhpurs Vintage Revamp, I hope you like this one just as much, even though it's slightly more simple!

What do you think of my fancy new sundress?

Vintage Revamped Stripy Summer Sundress

Don't you just love it? I do! And how lucky was I that it's first item was in the glorious sunshine on my day off? Heaven! Plus Pimms, so double heaven! But the dress didn't look much like it does now when I first bought it...

The original dress before it's Revamp

This dress was purchased almost three years ago now, it's a vintage Laura Ashley, and although it was cute it just wasn't wearable for me in it's previous state. As you can see it was uber long, it finished just shy of my ankles, and the detailing around the hem was just a bit much for me. Also the bodice, despite fitting perfectly on my waist was about 4 inches too small in the bust department, eek! So you can see why it has been unworn for the past three years! Some seriously work needed to be done to breathe new life into this rough diamond...

Revamped!

To start off with I chopped at least 5 inches off of the hem and at once the look of the dress was hugely improved. It swings around prettily now as apposed to swamping me! I then used some of the cutoff fabric to add triangles into the back seams of the bodice so that it finally fitted my bust. You can see this below:

Back detail

Finally I also adjusted the straps into a halter neck style, which I think is much more flattering and Summery :)

I know that these alterations are fairly simple, but as I am touring (and so sadly without my sewing machine) I had to do them all by hand, so I'm really pleased with how the finished dress looks. I hadn't thought I could get my stitching neat enough to be happy, but there you go!

I hope you like this newly revamped Sundress, I've certainly been enjoying wearing it, and let's all enjoy this gorgeous weather while we can!

Again, another clever revamp! I don't think the alterations are simple at all and you did them all by hand...that's so impressive! I love the panels on the bodice as they actually add such a great detail. You look so pretty in this dress!

Wow! I'm so impressed, and you did this all without a sewing machine? Well done!

I think it looks so much better now, the length is just perfect, the halter neck much more summery as you said, and those panels in the back make a really nice feature actually, much more interesting than its previsou life!

As a way of saying thank you for your nlovely blog and keeping me busy reading, and making me want to get crafty again, I've given you the 'One Lovely Blog Award' over on ladyjardin.blogspot.com (can't figure out home to comment on your blog and link me back to my profile, d'oh!). I love seeing all your projects, I still want to do some embroidery since seeing you do your pinup girl skirt, and now want to go hunt in charity shops to revamp something, or dig into my stash of bits I was going to sell and revamp those instead!

About Me

Welcome to the world of "The Little Red Squirrel"! A year ago I gave up buying new clothes in favour of making my own or buying second hand. Join me as I continue in my adventures to build a handmade, home-sewn, vintage life.